THE INVISIBLE HAND.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1915, 25 November 1913, Page 10

THE INVISIBLE HAND.

MftNOEUVRINO AN AIRSHIP BY I ( WIstEUESS. I DEMONSTRATION IN W ELUNGTOX. Among tlto visitors to Wellington at pit-'sout is Mr. A. J. llobeits, an electrii".il engineer, formerly of tins city, who lias mado a. name for himself both in j'-ngijtHl and America by demonstrations lie has given of llm far-reaching effects ol wireless teiegrapii energy in controlling airships and torpedoes, and in other lwlds of eluctrical endeavour, Somo. two jears ago ho went Home to England with a dovico 'lor controlling the course of a. torpedo by wireless, giving many demonstration's in tho preseneo of tjio Admiralty officials and other interested parties. Ho also demonstrated before the Army antliorities how it was possible to control an airship by means of wireless. Great interest was taken in'these txporiments, which may yet result in practical Tho ono objection raised was the fact that tho object being manoeuvred by wireless might be subject. to tho control of elcctric-wavo impelling devices don trolled by tho enemy. Mr. Roberts (waio was responsible for fho e!»>etrical equipments of the Belfast Freezing Company and Patoa Borough Council) yesterday afternoon demonstrated to a number of interested people tho manner in which the. movements of an airshijp may bo controlled fron, tho earth by mi3an« of wireless telegraphy. This was idbiie by means of a model airship with;:), balloon measuring 20ft. in length by 6fjb. in diameter, to trliich is attaclieil by strings a light wooden liaseello (or carriage). On this airy plat-. form, are placed lour tiny motors, that are cbnnected/up with as ir.any tractors (propjellers). Two of tho tractors are attached to ;i swivel bar operating at the sl'ten of tho s'hip, driving the airship to t'h e left or right, and the other two (of difforont sliape), placed' immediately bene;ith tho na«eelle, raise or lower the ship as the operator desires. Still another'device is provided' in the form of a ; nietall plate, which 011 receiving a wireless (ihargo drops down like a door, allowing anything that may be resting upon 1 it (sue'h as a bomb) to drop to eartlii

Tlie>. balloon was filler! with hydrogen, and liberated in the King's Theatre, when, with a twclvc-coil • wireless plant, Mr Roberts demonstratbil most successfully how tho floating ship could bo controlled. As the vessel rose- slowly the electricity flashod out with a cracklo from a relnoto corner of the theatre, and at once one of the littlo motors on the airship begn u to hum, one of the stern tractors whizKed round at the end of the swivel •bar, and the airship started slowly on its course round the auditorium, showing a number of tiny lights, which gave life And eolour to tho interesting experiment-- It answered every wireless signal jnmd.c, and as it returned over the stalls seajts the metal pinto was released (by wireless), i'md out fell a tiny bomb of confetti. Mr. Roberts was not inclined to say precisely how the motors or the airship received the charge from tho air which set them going—that was one of his little secrets, but lie stated that- he had controlled a large airship in precisely tho same maimer in England. IJ) London he had exhibited the model a(i tho London Hippodrome for six weeli(s, and had received tho sum. of £80 jler week. Ho had no desire, however, to make a show of his inventions, and had refused other tempting offers to qshibit tho model on vaudeville circuits.

Mr. Roberts is also the inventor of the gyroiicope attachment for the solution of t'hio automatic stability question in rosjKicfc to airships. He has also inventocj aii attaehmcjnt calculated to bo of immense value to wireless telegraphy on shi[pa. At present, when the operator retires from his machine, _ calls from other vessels can be mado in any number of any importance, and no one is any tho wiser. Mr. Roberts's invention is an attachment which acts as a sound accelerator, which increases the sound of tlio song so greatly that it can be hei:rd fifty feet away. This sound can bo conducted to the operator's cabin, and is lond enough to wall© him from Itlie deepest sleep.